


Missed and Second Chances

by blackrider11



Series: Transcending Reality [3]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, LaFerry - Freeform, Other, Smidges of Danny and Carmilla broship or at least being civil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-24 19:59:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2594576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrider11/pseuds/blackrider11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura was worried, like seriously worried. Something broke in LaFontaine when Perry ran out the door after the fight. And when they said the word “experiment” it wasn’t with their usual fervor, it was more of a “I need to be distract myself before I do something insane”. Not that going to the library sub-basement in the dead of night, didn’t qualify as questionable in the first place. But it was worrying because they were acting with too much enthusiasm, being more reckless than what was normal, and it was verging on self-destructive.</p><p>(Also, a bit OOC, I'm not good at writing in character, this DOES NOT take place in "Love Transcends Reality" Verse)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Library Sub-Basement Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this on kbearluna’s tumblr account (yes I know who it is), and they had reposted (I don't know the originator) the following:
> 
> So who wants to talk about lafontaine + reckless/self destructive behaviour bc of the fight with perry  
> Who wants to talk about LaF dying in the library to save Laura and Perry never getting to apologize to their face.  
> Who wants to talk about Perry breaking down and crying at their funeral. Perfect Perry, storming through the crowd, pounding her fists on the library doors to GIVE THEM BACK.  
> Who wants to talk about Perry locked away in their shared room, unable to touch, unable to clean anything.  
> Who wants to talk about Perry apologizing to an empty room that she never believed LaFountaine about supernatural beings.  
> Who wants to talk about Perry, beautiful, broken Perry, armed against the hordes of demons with only a old baseball bat and a deathwise.  
> Who wants to talk about Perry finally believing in the supernatural the first time she sees LaFountaine’s ghost.
> 
> And of course now I’m writing it. Let me know if you catch me using her/she or something like that because I’m trying to stay respectful to the characters.
> 
> SOME IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT CHANGES TO THE CANON.  
> 1) Carmilla DID NOT go with because she was still broken up about L (Elle/Ell) and returned later than in the series canon.  
> 2) The sacrifice deadline is a lot further back than in canon.

Laura was worried, like seriously _worried_. Something broke in LaFontaine when Perry ran out the door after the fight. And when they said the word “experiment” it wasn’t with their usual fervor, it was more of a “I need to be distract myself before I do something insane”. Not that going to the library sub-basement in the dead of night, didn’t qualify as questionably crazy. But it was worrying because they were acting with too much enthusiasm, being more reckless than what was normal, and it was verging on self-destructive.

Laura watched as they ran headfirst into the sub-basement. No, strike that, it was definitely self-destructive. She clinched the pan tighter in her hands ready for any attacking books and followed LaFontaine into the darkness.

She caught up quite easily, but only because they had stopped and held up their hand up signaling for quiet. LaFontaine pointed upwards and Laura could see the books circling like a murder of crows above their heads. In the distance there was a computer monitor flickering on and off, probably the best chance they had in looking for a book that referenced the “hungry light”. But first they had to get around the books that were patrolling the stacks.

“I’ll distract the murderous books, you get to the computer.” LaFontaine told Laura.

“LaF-“ Laura started.

“I got this,” LaFontaine insisted. “Go.” Laura watched as they ran making as much noise as possible away from the glowing monitor.

“Hey you stupid books, yeah I’m talking to you! How Tea Cosies Changed the World! Seriously, who needs to read something like that! And you, How Goblins are Friends not Food, that’s a rip off from Finding Nemo! So, I’ve got a reference or two to pick with you!”

While LaFontaine made a racket, Laura carefully made her way to the computer where it read, “How may I be of service?”.

Laura clicked on the subject search as quickly as possible while muttering to herself “evil hungry light”. And what luck the computer pulled up a single reference before she even began to type. Only problem, it was in a sub-basement under the sub-basement. Of course it was. Laura quickly took down where it was and muttered a quick “Thank you” to the machine before she turned and ran. She didn’t notice the monitor now flashed the words “You’re welcome”.

As she approached LaFontaine, she cried out “LaFontaine, LaFontaine, I got it. We have to go down.”

“Map?” They grunted as they sent the last book flying back behind the shelves.

“Directions. This way. Come on.” Laura darted toward the nearest stairway with LaFontaine right on her heels. The books appeared to be preparing themselves for another attack. LaFontaine closed the door behind them and a series of bangs against the door signaled that the two of them had made it through just in the nick of time.

It was strangely quiet, the floor below, almost as if the books themselves were too afraid to follow. She led the way forward her torch trained in front of her as she mentally read off the rows until she found the one she was looking for. There was a gust of wind and Laura couldn’t keep hold of the piece of paper that had the directions, luckily there was computer screen monitor and it flashed an arrow saying “This way”.

“Well?” Laura asked LaFontiane.

“Why not?” LaFontaine replied and followed the arrow. Where they were met with a door.

The two friends looked at each other and before she could protest Laura watched as her friend opened the door without heed to traps that could very well be waiting. Looking in, there was a bridge from the door to a book that was sitting on a pedestal with the lighting it seemed to be glowing.

“Okay, not that, that’s not creepy and all, but I think it’s safe to assume that’s the book.”

“Don’t you think we should look for traps or hazards or some kind of, I don’t know danger?” Laura asked.

“Stop whining, let’s just get the book and go. This library is starting to give me the creeps.”

“Fine.” Laura mumbled as she began to go forward. LaFontaine stopped her, shaking their head.

“Stay and keep watch, I’ll go.”

“LaF-“

“Later,” they said firmly and charged headfirst toward the book. And there were traps, so many traps. Laura watched as her friend didn’t flinch and kept going straight for the book. Not stopping except when they slipped up in their haste and tumbled off the bridge.

“LaFontaine!” Laura cried starting forward.

“STAY THERE!” LaFontaine yelled, not wanting Laura to get hurt on their behalf even though they were losing their grip. Laura ignored them and caught them by the wrist before they fell into the darkness below. With great effort, and unexpected strength on Laura’s part, together they managed to get LaFontaine back onto the concrete bridge.

“Thanks,” LaFontaine finally said with a small smile as they both caught their breath.

Laura grinned, “What are friends for?” LaFontaine’s smile vanished. “Listen, I know you and Perry fought but you need to stop running off into danger. What will happen if you don’t…” Laura was cut off by a loud thump that reverberated through the chamber.

“I really don’t think this is a good time for this,” LaFontaine said pulling Laura to her feet and taking off once again towards the book. Confident that the tiny gay friend was right behind them, LaF grabbed the book and wooped in success.

There was a rumble and the end of the platform furthest from the door began to disintegrate. The two looked at each other before running back across the bridge as pieces of it fell behind them. They made it out, with time to spare. They retraced their steps and found the stairs. The sky was lightening from what they could see through the few windows of the sub-basement, which distracted the books from the initial presence of the intruders. They would have to move quickly if they wanted to escape safely from their current location.

They ran, they had to otherwise the sub-basement would swallow them up. The ground shook violently, indicating that the sun was close being seen in the sky, books, shelves, and other debris fell to the floor. Laura was fast, but LaFontaine was faster and in Laura’s haste to keep up with them, she tripped. In front of her, LaFontaine skidded to a stop and ran back for her. They helped her up.

“Thanks,” Laura said embarrassed.

“Laura move!” Laura startled as LaFontaine pushed her out of the way as a shelf fell. The crash attracted the books.

“LaFontaine!” Laura cried as she tried to lift the shelf off of her fallen friend.

“Laura! Laura! Run.” LaFontaine threw the book at her. “Get Betty back, bring them home.”

“I can’t just leave you here,” Laura protested.

“You have to,” LaFontaine couldn’t turn to look behind her but they could hear the books coming to their location. “Laura, don’t blame yourself,” they said. “Laura, listen to me.” This stopped all of Laura’s protests with the seriousness that was clear in their voice. They looked at her trying to convey as much as they could and said a single word, “Go.”

And with tears in her eyes and guilt in her heart, Laura fled.


	2. News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I will be referring Ell as Ell from now on in any future writing because animanics. Also, I expect each bullet point to take 1-2 chapters unless I write something VERY long.

Carmilla slowly walked up the stairs feeling drained. Processing the information had taken… a while and to be honest she wasn’t quite sure she would ever come to terms with it. Her thought process was interrupted when she saw Laura collapsed on the stair landing between the second and third floor clutching a book to her chest sobbing. Carmilla approached carefully not wanting to startle the girl. 

“Laura,” she asked softly, “what happened?”

“LaF…I…book,” Laura barely managed to croak out before flinging herself at Carmilla.

“Hey, calm down. Laura, Laura, I need you to calm down.” In vain, Carmilla tried to get a clear answer to what happened but Laura just kept muttering the words “I’m sorry” and “It’s all my fault” over and over again. “Shh” Carmilla said when Laura gave a squeak when Carmilla picked her up before she returned to her apologies, “I’m not going to leave you a sniveling mess in the stairway.” Carmilla paused for half a second to scoop up the book that had fallen from Laura’s hands because it appeared to be old and possibly important.

Being in the familiar space of their room helped to calm Laura down, enough at least for Carmilla to force her to drink water. It took coaxing, but bit by bit the story came out. How LaFontaine and Laura had decided to brave the library sub-basements to find any kind of reference; how, together they had escaped possible death more than once; how Laura tripped and fell; how LaFontaine saved her; and finally how Laura left them there to an unknown fate.

Horrified Laura realized one thing she hadn’t done yet, “Oh God, what am I going to tell Perry?” There was a knock on the door that caused Laura to freeze and she prayed that it wasn’t who she thought it was. But that’s the problem with reality, often times the very things you don’t want to happen come swooping in at the least convenient opportunity.

The door opened and in strode in a worried looking Perry, “I saw Laura’s last video and… where is LaFontaine? Is she in the bathroom? Is she okay?” She saw Laura’s tear stained face. “No, no. She has to be fine. She has to be. I know she was angry and… This has to be some elaborate joke, right? You and Susan have to be playing a prank or… or something. Laura, please tell me you are… just please.”

Laura just looked at her, “I’m sorry.”

And Perry sank to the floor weeping.


	3. Well... Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura spies on Perry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Perry and LaFontaine share a room for the sake of this story. Also, since they still haven’t had “the talk” yet, Perry may be misgendering them a bit on occasionally (reason for the occasionally may or may not be explained). I may/will also be using some of kbearluna’s headcanons in this, see their Christmas fic.

After the news, Perry locked herself in her room and showed no signs of emerging anytime soon. Laura had camped outside the door for three days after she had received no answer from knocking on the door. Carmilla had finally gotten fed up and forcefully taken Laura from her shoddily self-made tent. It worked for an hour then Laura was back outside the door only to have Carmilla drag her back to their dorm room.

“It’s not healthy,” Laura said struggling against the vampire.

“Coming from you cupcake, that doesn’t exactly sound credible.” Carmilla gave a heavy sigh all signs of teasing were gone, “Laura, give her time to grieve.”

And Laura did, worryingly. Every so often, she would ask Carmilla to check if Perry was okay. The response was almost always some variation of “she’s still breathing” accompanied by an eye roll.

When Perry did emerge a week later, she looked fine. A bit too well put together, her hair was brushed, her clothing was, with the exception of her fashion sense, immaculate, and she scolded some of the students who had taken to bear-crawling around nude in the hallway during her absence. Concerned, Laura being the intrepid reporter in-training, tailed Perry when not in class.

One excursion led to Student Services, where Laura saw Perry hand a stack of paper to an orange-eyed sickly grey looking secretary.

“Could you check if all papers are in order?” Perry asked. She/He? It? Nodded and gave it a once over far faster than any human would have been able to.

“All the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted, nothing to worry about here dear, except your request to use a lab. We can’t approve that here.” The definite female sounding creature took a pen in a four-digit hand and wrote down several names and numbers on a note card. “Contact one of these people and ask for permission. For everything else, I’ll make sure that the appropriate people are notified,” the she creature smiled probably in an attempt to be reassuring but it fell several leagues short. “And honey, I’m sorry for your loss.” Perry thanked the Student Services worker politely and walked out the door. If she was aware of her young stalker, she made a point not to acknowledge the freshman.

Laura watched as Perry looked at the card that she had been given and appear to recognize a name. For a time, Laura followed Perry to one of the designated Science Buildings before losing the upperclassmen in an unknown fog-like substance that appeared out of nowhere. Laura retreated back to the dorm room, pondering what to do about Perry, it didn’t seem like anything was wrong but Laura wasn’t convinced. So, like any good reporter, she was not happy without having more evidence that Perry was fine. Since the redhead wasn’t being cooperative, Laura decided she’d simply have to visit, while Perry was away, the room that LaFontaine and Perry shared. It took some time, but after some jingling and jangling with the lock, having a vampire roommate who when she gets bored and likes to learn unusual skills well it came in handy, the door finally opened.

To say the least, Laura was not prepared for what she found.

The room was, to put it mildly, a mess. The fact that the _only_ thing in the room that was even remotely considered in order was the bed that had been carefully made and appeared to be untouched for days. Said bed was so obviously LaFontaine’s it made Laura’s eyes water. Everything else was pretty much a disaster. In the afternoon light Laura could see a light amount of dust on the windowsill, there were unwashed dishes near what could be the sink, there was black goo like substance on one the desks that appeared be in the process of dripping to the floor. And _was it crawling towards her_? This all was made much more disturbing when you took in to account that this was the room occupied by _Lola Perry_ who when distressed seemed to turn into some kind of OCD cleaner extraordinaire. A squeak came from the hallway and Laura twirled around letting out a small yelp in surprise.

“Laura,” asked Perry politely, weariness etched onto her face “do you need something?”

“N-no, I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

“I’m fine, thank you for your concern.” Perry’s response was clipped and definitely lacking in the warm almost motherly tone that Laura had come to associate with her.

“You’re not fine,” Laura exclaimed her hands waving around to the room that signaled that Perry was all kinds of _not_ fine. “It hurts me to see you like this. LaFontaine-“

“LAFONTAINE WOULD STILL BE HERE IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU!” Perry’s face was contorted in rage, “If it wasn’t for you and your insistence on investigating every little thing. If you hadn’t become friends with her. If you had never come to this school. She’d still be alive...”

Laura stood in the middle of the room, unable to hide as each accusation cut into her. All sounds from the hallway had ceased, nobody wanted to brave what was happening in the Don’s room. When Perry finally stopped, the two of them stood in silence unable to utter a word. One in shock, the other with guilt. Perry was the first to break the silence.

“Laura.” Perry’s somber tone was that of someone who lost their world, “Please leave. I’m trying really hard not to hate you. LaFontaine wouldn’t want that but I can’t deal with this right now. Please just go.”

Laura could do nothing but retreat back down the hall to room 307 and attempt to process what happened.


	4. Filler: Oh LaFontaine, You Clever Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I got stuck sorry, so… enjoy this I guess until then?
> 
> WARNING: OC

You were in the middle of grading the practicals when an unknown student walked in. Unknown because there was a blaring sign on the door that ALL of the science students have been thoroughly educated on the importance of and they all know it’s a bad idea to walk in when it is up. Luckily, this particular experiment was benign… for the most part and not at all harmful to the less than durable students that attend. So you carefully put it away in its container and look at her.

She’s pretty, as far standards go, rather tall for a female of her species.

“Is this ~~~~~ ~~~~ office?” she asked. It was a good attempt at your current name for one who did not process the correct vocal cords to pronounce it, the lack of gills was another factor.

“Just call me Professor.” You tell her as you take off your safety goggles. Mentally you wince, it sounds egotistical as it leaves your mouth, and while you aren’t (strictly) a teacher this time around, it’s so much easier for humans to say. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” You’re being polite, but you know you haven’t because you make a point of knowing the human science students that come here. And by the way they are dressed, she is definitely NOT a science major. Which now begs the question, how the hell did she get into your office? There are wards for that, multiple time consuming wards that should have prevented this.

“Perry.” You must have looked at her blankly as she quickly followed with. “Lola Perry, Third Floor Don of Hurakan Dorm.”

Oh.

 _OH_. It clicks.

“You’re the famous Perry, the one that LaFontaine can’t shut up about. What can I do for you? Right my manners, please sit.” She does slowly. She clears her throat.

“I’ve come to discuss the possibility of using a lab for her funeral.”

“Their,” you correct her. “Their. Wait funeral?”

Well that certainly explained why Perry was here. But that doesn’t explain how it happened, because it shouldn’t have happened. You pride yourself for having the least number of fatalities since the mid-eighteen hundreds. You mentor a handful of students every few decades or so and you take all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety so they can graduate in one piece… physically. Mentally is a completely different story. Something must have gone wrong or LaFontaine must have found a loophole in your years of hard work, it does happen occasionally that someone finds a flaw in the design but it’s rare. And to make sure it doesn’t happen again you do have to ask.

“If it’s not too prying, may I ask how?” You do care. LaFontaine was a nice difference from the usual mundane students you end up with. Yeah sure you got a mixture of different genetic makeups, you’ve had a Naga or two, a couple of Camazotzies, Mngwa, Talos… but in essence they weren’t all that creative, they did their work, worked a couple of theories just to prove they worked. In other words for all the mystical crap people thought about them was just that crap, really in essence they were quite boring. It was always something to do with lightning if the student was a thunderbird, or an experimentation of rotting skin or the like with the undead. Just boring. LaFontaine had been a nice change of pace. Hell , they were even slated to be a nominee for the intern position that’s only offered once every five years, they were going to be the first human to qualify for it.

“The library,” Perry said quietly. You mentally chastise yourself for not being more sensitive and then your brain comes to a screeching halt.

“Library?” You ask, because there is no way LaFontaine died in the library.

“Sub-basement,” Perry elaborates.

This doesn’t make sense, there was no possible reason for LaFontaine to die in the library. You tested it yourself, nothing can hurt you down there, much less kill you while you’re wearing…wait a second.

Perry.

“Can I see your hand?” You try not to sound too invasive or eager. Perry lifts her hand and you see it plain as day, your handiwork on that ring. Which is you want to say impossible but the evidence that you see is telling you differently. Right the funeral. “It’s not something that’s been done before.” You watch her face fall before quickly adding, “but I’m sure we can make an exception. E-mail me the date?” She nods and gets up to leave, everything about her screams business professional except her eyes. And you have to look away so you don’t stare at them too long. There’s an aching grief there that makes your breath hitch for a second. “Be careful on your way out.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Perry tells you as she walks out the door.

“Per…” You start but it’s too late the door is closed and she’s about six floors down at the entrance of the building. Maybe you should have told her. You push your hair back and run your hand down your face giving a small choking laugh. LaFontaine you little idiot. The ring on Perry’s finger was not supposed to be there, it shouldn’t have been there. It’s bound to LaFontaine. The ring, you had engraved it using a ritual that involved a long dead language that so few know now that you could count them on one hand, and causes the student’s name to inscribed upon it. It has safety features so that it can’t be stolen. It incinerates the infringer, slowly over a couple of hours even if they manage to remove the ring. And you’re not sure how they managed it, but you can guess. When Perry closed the door you caught a glimpse of it, shimmering just under LaFontaine’s engraved name were the words Lola Perry.

And you wonder, if it had always been there and you had just never noticed. LaFontaine certainly knew the importance of the ring, but did they ever inform their friend? Did Lola Perry know just how much they had cared for her? Gave up for her safety? You hope so. You really do.

Oh the little idiot.

You would have made another, all they had to do was ask.

That idiot.


	5. Carmilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not the best writing, I can't seem to get it right. But better to post it and continue than keep hitting my head against the wall right? *clicks post before they can change their mind*

When Perry finally managed to claw herself from the hold of sleep, it was the next night. If she had any strength left she would have been crying but only hollowness and weariness remained. The worst part about sleeping, wasn’t the dreams, it was the waking back to reality. It was torture each time, and it was why, up until last night, she hadn’t slept for four days. Perry reached listlessly for her phone, she had put it off long enough. There wasn’t anything she could do to avoid it, Perry sighed, it was time to inform LaFontaine’s parents.

Perry had over the past few days written several e-mails because she couldn’t get a hold of them and she’d rather it be a civil correspondence, because LaFontaine would want that, rather than one that depicted each and every accusation of being less than stellar parents to someone as unique and as generous as LaFontaine. But since that didn't work, this was Perry's last ditch effort as she dialed their numbers, home phone, cell phones, work phones. After an two hours and twenty-eight messages, it just didn't feel like it wasn’t worth the effort, this was time to be properly planning the funeral, not inform LaFontaine’s less than attentive parents. Perry winced as she thought that, merely inattentive would have been a blessing, it was pretty much full out abandonment whenever possible. She was just thankful LaFontaine wasn’t anything like them. She wasn’t sure where LaFontaine’s ability to care came from, but the capacity of it was only rivaled by ~~her~~ their ability to forgive wrongs done to them. The only reason she had bothered to try to contact them was because, despite all their shortcomings, LaFontaine did love them. The two of them didn’t deserve it, they never did. There was a bang against the wall. It was only then Perry realized she had thrown the phone in frustration.

“Does she take her anger out on inanimate objects all the time or is this just a special thing?” drawled Carmilla’s voice across the room.

“Carmilla, what are you doing in here?” Perry gasped reaching over and turning on the lamp by her bed.

“It wasn’t my idea, trust me. This… Hey.” Carmilla rubbed her arm. “That doesn’t really hurt me you know, but whatever. Anyway thanks to you I’ve had to deal with an idiot soaking my bed with her tears.”

“Sorry,” Perry reflexively said. Wondering if Carmilla had always talked to herself.

“You’d be more convincing if you pretend that you meant it.” Carmilla pointed out. Perry did have the decency to look guilty. Carmilla sighed, it seemed like she was doing that a lot since meeting this group of freaks. “But you really should apologize to Laura, it’s not fair for you to add your own feeling of guilt to hers. She’s been suffering enough.”

“I know,” Perry muttered feeling like a she was a scolded child.

Carmilla made her way to the door and opened it. She paused as weighing the pros and cons of what she was about to say.

“If you want to vent or just talk about it I’m around,” Carmilla offered quietly.

“Why?” What Perry knew of the dark girl didn’t match with her words.

Carmilla gave a wistful sad smile, and her eyes met Perry’s for a brief second. For that moment, Perry was taken aback by the look in Carmilla’s eyes that made her look like she had lived lifetimes.

“I know what it’s like to lose someone,” explained Carmilla and left as silently as she came in.

Perry watched the closed door for a long time, a thoughtful look on her face. She got up and walked out her door to 307 and knocked on it.

“Perry,” Laura squeaked before backing away and disappearing into the bathroom away from Perry’s gaze.

“Laura where are you…” Carmilla appeared at the door, “Oh, it’s you.”

“I was hoping, if I could take you up on your offer.”

Carmilla turned slightly to address someone behind her. "Take care of Laura," she said before joining Perry in the hallway, Perry started to head for her room but was stopped by a firm yet gentle hand catching her arm. “Follow me, we’re not going back to that room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my head canon that Carmilla suspects that LaFontaine wants to be identified by they/their/LaFontaine because she's lived and probably majored in Gender Studies for shits and giggles at some point or because of her Mother in order to "get closer to targets".


	6. Danny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Laura mis-gendering LaFontaine is purposeful because they also didn’t have the talk. Carmilla is probably the only one who actually genders them correctly in this story for a while at least.
> 
> I wasn't going to put Danny in but then I figured, oh hell. Danny needs some appreciation too. Sorry for OOC where it matters, I still don't got these yet.
> 
> Sorry for the lateness of the chapter, writers block kills all things.

Danny ran. Just straight out sprinted, worry was clouding her every thought. She had managed to not instantly view Laura’s latest video. But after three days of not knowing if she was okay, Danny had caved. Laura was alive, but LaFontaine was not and despite everything Danny still cared, even though it hurt.

And Laura, Laura was definitely not okay. Danny knew all too well that physical wounds healed quicker and more easily than those that lay in the heart and mind. Danny forced her mind to think of Laura because now was not the time to dwell on the past.

Danny skidded to a halt just short of entering the hall where room 307 was located. She paused doubt that she had been avoiding so steadily springing up. She had been so focused on just wanting to know how Laura was coping that she had ignored the feeling through sheer willpower alone. Now standing outside the door, her courage failed her; now unsure if she should knock or just go in as though they were still friends. They were friends still right? It was so frustrating being unsure of anything. But she had to wonder because what if, Laura didn’t want her there? Last time they had talked, last time they had fought. What support could she possibly display that the bloodsucker could not?

Maybe it was seconds, minutes, or hours but just as Danny gathered up the courage to go in, the door opened by itself. Or at least that’s what it appeared like. But doors don’t do that, usually, even on Silas unless…

“LaFontaine?” Danny asked the empty air quietly. No answer, not that she expected one, there was a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward the movement, nothing, looking to the opposite side of the room she spotted Laura on the bed asleep, it looked like someone had tucked her in. It could have been a speck or a trick of the light Danny mused as she pulled a chair over to Laura’s bedside, but to be honest she doubted that. More than likely, it was LaFontaine’s ghost or spirit or something similar. Danny didn’t even attempt to talk to the spirit because if there had been even a remote possibility she doubted that Laura would have looked like she had been crying with hardly any sleep.

It was comforting to know that Laura wasn’t alone, but did Perry know? If Perry didn’t know should she tell her? Was it her place to tell the already grieving woman otherwise?

Danny hated feeling useless, unsure. She wanted to do something, but what? There has to be something that she could do, she just hadn’t thought of it yet.

“Danny?” Laura’s voice startles her out of her thoughts, or had she fallen asleep, she can’t remember. “How long have you been here?”

Danny glanced over at the clock, the red numbers were flashing 20:05, weird because Laura doesn’t use military time. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “a while I guess? But how are you doing?”

“Better, at least better than Perry. I thought you, ugh, I didn’t expect you to see you again.”

“Laura, just because we fought doesn’t mean I stopped caring. I worry. You’re my friend and if you need to talk I just wanted you to know I’m here. I didn’t, I needed, I mean that I wanted to tell you that in person because it felt impersonal just sending you a text. If you want me to go-”

“No, please stay. I don’t feel like being alone right now.”

“But you’re not alone, you have Carmilla and LaFontaine.” Danny wondered what she said wrong because Laura looked like she had just been punched in the gut, hard.

“Danny, LaFontaine’s dead,” Laura seemed to be spelling out things Danny already knew. “And her body’s still in the library.”

“So there’s no way the ghost that’s hanging around here is LaFontaine?”

“Ghost? What ghost? There’s a ghost?” Ok, so Laura clearly didn’t know.

“You didn’t know,” the statement came out more like a question than Danny had meant.

“No, can we talk to it, her, them, incorporeal being?”

“I think so? Don’t have much experience with ghosts, but as far as I know it’s only one way.”

“How do we make it two way?” The fire that had been dead inside Laura just a few minutes ago was now alive with purpose.

“Books, research, library.” Danny watched Laura’s shoulders drop at the mention of the building. “Hey, don’t worry about it, I’ll get the books and bring them here. I promise to be right back.”

“Okay,” Laura sounded unsure.

“I’ll stay if you want me to.”

“No, the library will close soon so hurry and come back.”

Danny nodded and left. She was on a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goals for this coming week are to get the next chapter of my glee story finished and out, a CJ evil fic chapter I feel terrible about even starting, and a Danny centric one-shot out. Let's do this guys.


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